


Healing Our Family (in the worst way possible)

by KeyOh



Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Bad Parent Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), Betrayal, Dark Philza, Dark Technoblade, Dark Wilbur Soot, Delusional everybody, Kidnapping, Kinda dark Tubbo, Lots of it, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Tommy needs a hug, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), he wants the best for his friend but makes wrong choices, that’s not from his kidnappers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:01:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28705593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeyOh/pseuds/KeyOh
Summary: And Tommy was supposed to come back.But he didn’t.—————Au where during the end of L’manburg, Phil and Techno kidnap Tommy. Desperate to fix they’re family, they fail to notice how kidnapping and keeping your son/brother captive is bad.
Relationships: Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 96
Kudos: 605





	1. A plan

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Slytherins_queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherins_queen/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Just a small prompt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28599060) by [Slytherins_queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slytherins_queen/pseuds/Slytherins_queen). 



> Alright let’s do this y’all. Buckle up cuz Tommy is in for a bad and confusing ride. This is inspired by Slytherins_queen’s prompt. And also inspired by gay_gay_gay’s prompt, since Slytherins_queen’s work was inspired by that.

He was supposed to come back.

Phil thought back to this morning, when he bid his sons goodbye. Remembered how Tommy ran around impatiently and how Techno took his time trying to gather supplies for the both of them. How Techno gave Tommy the axe of peace, and how the blonde teenager grinned with awe at the weapon. And then they were off to L’manburg, to take down a wicked government that has already taken away so much from their little family.

And Tommy was supposed to come back.

But he didn’t. 

“He left me, Phil.” Technoblade paced back and forth in quiet anger. It has been hours since Techno has come back without Tommy, and he’s been ranting to Phil ever since. Said man could only quietly watch with sorrow as Techno unraveled before his own eyes. When suddenly, he stopped and stood still, spinning around to face Phil. “He left us.” His voice cracked.

It was the first time he saw his eldest son so distraught. So confused and betrayed. And his heart ached with empathy, because he feels the same way right now. Tommy is his youngest son, his little boy. Phil, Techno, Wilbur and Tommy, they were a family. And shouldn’t family stick together? Shouldn’t they always side with each other, always listen to each other? 

Shouldn’t Tommy always listen to t h e m ?

After all, he’s just a child. No matter how much Tommy wants to scream otherwise, he is. Only 16 years old. But ever since he went off with Wilbur to start a new country, he likes to think himself as independent. Fighting against his family both with weapons and words. 

“Remember when Tommy was smaller?” Phil finally speaks up. Techno stares at him, confused. Phil gives him a sad smile as he further explains his thoughts. “How obedient he was? He was so dependent on us and so clingy. I remember you and Wilbur often complaining to me about how Tommy wouldn’t leave you guys alone.” His gaze softens as fond memories of simpler times flooded his mind.

Techno gave a small smile as well, no doubt also remembering. But his smile quickly turned back into a pained frown. And with a grimace he opened his mouth to speak.

“If only it stayed that way.” He grumbled, staring down at the floor. 

And didn’t that just break Phil’s heart? Techno spoke with such hopelessness, as if he already accepted that Tommy will never go back to them. Never look up to them with love and wonder again, or come running towards them in his time of need, or listen to them ever again. And any other father may have accepted it as well. There’s too many problems to solve, too many grievances to fix. But Philza wasn’t just any father, he was a man who never gave up.

And he certainly wasn’t gonna give up on Tommy. He wasn’t willing to let Tommy go. Because he was Phil’s youngest son. Wilbur’s and Techno’s little brother. That’s who he was.

And he was going to stay, whether he likes it or not.

“We’ll get Tommy back.” Phil stated with confidence. “And it’ll be like before.” 

Techno looked up and stared. A moment passed in silence. “It won’t be the same, especially now.” 

It occurred to Phil that maybe Technoblade was still angry at Tommy and unwilling to forgive. He gave a sigh as he rubbed his neck in exhaustion. “Listen Techno, I understand you’re feeling betrayed but Tommy is your brother and he needs us-“

“I’m not talking about that.” Technoblade spat out. “It’s obvious he’s not in his right mind, he was in exile for some time. God knows how that affected him.” He wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms. “I’m talking about what’s going to happen tomorrow. Me and Dream already made plans to completely destroy L’manburg. After tomorrow it’ll be nothing but ash and dirt. And something tells me Tommy won’t be too happy about it.”

“Good, he shouldn’t be. It’s a lesson after all.” Phil smiled as Techno nodded with agreement at that. “But after the punishment is over, the healing can begin. Trust me, all Tommy needs is some alone time with his family. Soon he’ll get over this rebellious phase and it’ll be just like old times.” 

Both men smiled at each other and set off to prepare. Not just for the upcoming battle, but also for Tommy’s new life.


	2. Bringing him home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter pog!   
> Thank you so much for the support! It’s been motivating me so so much and honestly I want to write so much for this story! Enjoy this chapter, it’s basically where Tommy gets drugged by Phil and gets carried away home. Tubbo makes a decision that he thinks will be good for his bestie, but is it actually :/ we’ll see in the next chapter when Tommy wakes up!

Tommy sits on the bench. He stared at the sky, noticing how the sun softly rose, marking a new day. It was supposed to be a beautiful scene. The sky has never looked more blue, the gentle wind has never felt more comforting, and he could hear the distant chatter of wild animals in the distance. 

But it wasn’t beautiful, because he knew that today was the day Dream and Technoblade promised to destroy L’manburg. 

Dream and Technoblade. 

Tommy flinches at the thought. His brother decided to team up with Dream. The man who tormented and manipulated him during his time of exile. And even now, he wasn’t actually sure how he felt towards the masked man. Because although it may be true that he blew up Tommy’s armor and weapons, and that he threatened him with death should Tommy ever set foot in L’manburg again, and almost caused him to jump into lava-he was still the only one who actually visited Tommy. Every day he would be there and just talked. Like everything was normal, when it really wasn’t. And at that time, Tommy appreciated the effort. The last thing he wanted was pity, after all. 

It was like Dream tried his best to make himself Tommy’s friend- his only friend. And maybe Tommy thought that was the case, once. Maybe he felt something akin to relief and happiness whenever he saw the masked man. But it all crumbled down when Dream found out about his hidden room.

The blonde teen kicked a nearby rock and grimaced at the memory. Man, was Dream really pissed about that. He blew up everything, destroyed the nether portal, and sentenced Tommy to a long time of loneliness. 

‘Will you still visit me?’

‘Sure, I’ll come over once a week to watch you.’

“To watch me.” The blonde boy mumbled. That’s the phrase that basically snapped him back to reality. Dream was no friend, he was just a guard. Somebody who just watched over him to make sure he didn’t do anything that broke the rules. With that realization, Tommy left. 

And started staying with Technoblade.

It was a rough decision. After all, he hated Technoblade. He didn’t even care that they were brothers. If they were really brothers, why did Techno kill his best friend? Why did he unleash those withers on him? Those aren’t things big brothers normally do to their younger brother.

But his family never was normal. 

He wondered if Phil was gonna fight too. And if he was, on what side? 

“Who am I kidding, of course he’ll be with Techno.” The teen grumbled in annoyance and hurt.

It will be strange to fight against Phil. Heartbreaking even. He (loved?) loves his father. But he knows that his dad will join Technoblade. And he doesn’t want to see L’manburg destroyed. This is his home. He created it with Wilbur. The past years have all been about protecting this land, fighting for this land, sacrificing so much for this land.

In a way, L’manburg is his everything. And if it gets destroyed, Tommy knows-he knows- that he’ll be destroyed as well. 

After this, Tommy doubts that they could ever be considered a family again. If Tommy wins, Phil and Technoblade will definitely hate him for it. And if L’manburg does get destroyed, (his fists shake at even the thought of that) he knows that he will forever hate Phil and Technoblade. And he does feel devastated and guilty, sad for the family they could’ve been. Guilty for leaving Technoblade. But L’manburg is his home. And standing aside while his home gets destroyed is just not Tommy. 

So he’ll fight. 

It was a beautiful day. The sky has never looked more blue, the gentle wind has never felt more comforting, and he could hear the distant chatter of wild animals in the distance. 

And he’ll protect all of it, even if it costs him his last life. 

—————

Before the battle started, Tommy knew he had to start making things right with people, namely one person: Sapnap.

Just the day before, Sapnap refused to fight with them against Dream. And so even though Tommy was scared, he puffed up his chest and apologized to the man. 

He was terrified that Sapnap wouldn’t accept the apology (why would he? Why would anybody ever actually forgive Tommy? He’s fucked up so much already, a ‘sorry’ isn’t good enough). 

But he did, and now Sapnap is willing to fight alongside Tommy and the rest! 

More than being happy about the new addition to their side, Tommy’s happy that Sapnap actually forgave him. The forgiveness made him feel lighter and more optimistic. 

If apologizing for shit made him feel this good, he should really start doing it more! “Is this what being on drugs feels like?” Tommy gave a laugh at that and continued walking. 

Until he noticed a familiar figure. 

“Tubbo?” 

Tubbo turns around. He looked nervous, with his hands clutching unto his suit. His eyes move to the floor and back to Tommy. A smile stretches softly on his face. 

“Tommy.” 

Tommy already saw him yesterday. At the day of the festival. But he can’t help the excitement that courses through his veins at being able to properly talk with Tubbo. Because he was finally ready to talk, he was ready to apologize and admit to his mistakes. Technoblade and Dream were gonna come later anyways, so he had time to have a conversation with his best friend. He slowly took a step closer to Tubbo. He continued taking careful steps until he’s full on sprinting towards him. He feelt tears gathering in his eyes as he crashes into Tubbo and wraps his arms around his neck. He feels a hand on the middle of his back and another in his hair. 

“Tubbo, I’m so sorry. About everything. I really fucked up and I’m really really sorry man I-“ 

“I’m sorry too Tommy! I shouldn’t have exiled you and I should’ve visited you or tried harder to defend you-!” 

Both boys cry out more apologies, both unwilling to let the other go.

Tommy lifts his face up to look at Tubbo. They quiet down and smile softly. 

It was Tommy who interrupts the silence. “I missed you Tubbo.” He whispers.

Tubbo sniffles. “Missed you more Tommy.” 

The two friends continue to smile at each other when suddenly they got a ping from their communicators.

Eret: where the hell is everybody?   
Eret: Technoblades here! 

Tommy’s blood froze. He stared at the communicator with fear. 

Technoblades here? But it’s still not time! They still didn’t have their armor on, nor did they have a actual game plan, and Tommy still hasn’t given his awesome and totally inspiring war speech! 

“Oh shit,” he murmured, then his voice rose, “shit!” He detangled himself away from Tubbo and rapidly took out his armor from his inventory. “Tubbo, theyre here already! Let’s go!” 

Once Tommy was done, he quickly tried to run off to battle- only to be stopped by a hand gripping his arm. He turned his head towards Tubbo with a confused expression. 

His friend looked sad and regretful. He had a tight frown on his lips. 

“...Tubbo?” 

At the mention of his name, Tubbo’s eyes narrowed and hardened, as if he just made a tough decision. 

“Tommy we need to talk.” He spoke with such strength and confidence, that it almost swayed Tommy to nod in agreement. But right now wasn’t the time to talk, not when the fight has just started. 

“Not right now, Tubbo! We need to go, everybody is probably fighting now and I need to go help!” Tommy struggled to get his wrist away from Tubbo’s firm grasp, when Tubbo’s other hand grabbed at the other wrist, making him drop the Axe of Peace he equipped on. “Hey!-“

“I thought you died.” 

Tommy stilled at those words. They were spoken with such despair and sorrow. He remembered now, wasn’t that what Tubbo told him back when they first met after his exile? When Techno and him came to L’manburg and traded Connor for Techno’s weapons? He didn’t think much of it back then, too focused on his own anger and indignation towards Tubbo, but now he’s realizing just what it exactly meant.

Tubbo thought he was dead. While Tommy was relaxing and wrecking havoc with Technoblade, his best friend thought he was dead. 

And looking at Tubbo now, at his trembling lips and hands, it obviously had an effect on him.

A sharp feeling of guilt shot through his body.

“Tubbo,” he managed to croak out.

“I thought you were dead,” Tubbo continued, “I saw everything blown up, and I saw that you were gone, and I saw that tower.” Tommy watched in horror as his friend let out a shaky gasp. “I though you, you killed yourself-“

The sounds of distant withers interrupted him.

Tommy looked towards the sky and saw multiple withers. “Holy shit,” he exclaimed in shock and fear. “What the fuck!” With new energy, he snatched his arms away and grabbed the axe of peace from the floor. His brain went blank, with a new priority forming: fight. 

He felt his feet start running, and he felt so detached from his own body that he didn’t even feel Tubbo tackle him from behind.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Tommy!” He could barely even hear Tubbo’s shouts, could only focus on getting back up from the floor and the multiple wither’s screeches and something that sounded like wings flapping. “But you can’t fight, I can’t risk you getting hurt, I can’t risk you dying!”

“Get off of me man!” Tommy only roared back in response. “Please, you’re not making any sense!”

“When I thought you died, I felt something in me die too. I felt miserable. All I could think about was how I should’ve been there for you, been a better friend, how I should’ve protected you.” Tubbo was sobbing now, he could feel the tears hitting the back of his neck. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t crying now, too. “But you didn’t die, you’re alive! And I’m so so happy you are! And I’m going to make sure you stay alive and safe, I promise I won’t make the same mistake again!” 

“Tubbo please, you’re acting crazy! Let’s talk this over later, but I’ve gotta go fight, I gotta make sure L’manburg doesn’t get destroyed!”

“It’s a little too late for that, Tommy.” 

Tubbo’s and Tommy’s heads snapped up to look at who the new source of voice belongs to. In front of them stood Phil, looking down at them both with a expressionless face. 

“Dad?” Tommy stuttered out in confusion.

Phil regarded him with a indulgent smile before looking straight at Tubbo. “Hold him please.” 

“W-what?” Tommy murmured and stared as Phil took out a potion. It was in a small vial and had purple fumes coming out of it. Phil knelt down and moved the potion towards him. 

“Drink, Tommy.” 

“Oh hell no.” He hissed out. He struggled to move away but found he couldn’t. Was Tubbo seriously helping Phil? He tried to ignore the hurt that came from that thought. “I’m not drinking shit from you, Philza Minecraft.”

Phil only stared at him with a disappointed expression. It was the kind he would use on Tommy back when he was a kid, whenever he got into trouble or did something he wasn’t supposed to. And he remembered the expression making him feel so guilty and small, but now he only felt anger and annoyance towards it. He glared back in defiance. Phil only let out a heavy sigh, as if Tommy was just a child who refused to take his medicine, and grabbed his face with one hand. With the other he held the suspicious potion and tried to make Tommy drink it. Only, Tommy wasn’t having it and was rapidly moving his face as far away as he could from the potion, which wasn’t far. He held his lips tight and refused to open.

“Son, you’re acting like I’m trying to poison you.” Phil let out a soft chuckle. 

It only took a second of Tommy forgetting his situation and opening his mouth (he was planning on responding back to Phil by asking what the hell kind of potion that is, then) for the vial to be inserted. Tommy was not prepared for it, so he let instincts take over and swallowed down the liquid. It tasted so strong, and he suddenly felt himself get dizzy. 

His vision started blurring over and he suddenly felt very tired. He could hear a distant voice calling his name (Tubbo?) before his eyes completely shut and darkness overtook his thoughts.

————

“Tommy?” Tubbo questioned and shook his unconscious friends body. He turned to Phil with concerned and worried eyes. “What was that?”

“Something that will help him sleep for a few hours.” Phil replied as he stared down at his son’s body. He reached out a hand to pet at the blonde hair. “Don’t worry, it’s completely harmless. There’s no other side effects than,well, sleeping.” 

“But why did you do it?”

The blonde man paused and stared at Tubbo. He smiled. “You care for my son a lot, don’t you?” 

Tubbo furrowed his brows. “Of course, he’s my best friend.” 

“Then you should know and understand that I’m doing this to keep him safe.” He said as he took Tommy in his arms and stood up, holding him. “I don’t want to see him continue fighting in wars. It’s too dangerous, and it’s having a bad effect on him. Me and Techno are going to take him back home to recover. He’ll be safe there and be able to be a kid again.”

“He won’t like it.” Tubbo murmured, remembering how Tommy screamed and trashed at him when he was being held back from fighting. 

“I know, but we’re his family. We know what’s best for him.” Phil regarded Tubbo with a kind smile. “Would you like to come with? Tommy cares a lot about you, and I know you care a lot about him. It’ll help Tommy a lot if he has you by his side.” 

Of course I will, Tubbo thinks. That was the plan, anyways. He also wanted to take Tommy away from this place, away from the wars and fights. He just didn’t have any actual idea on how to accomplish it. But apparently Phil and Technoblade had the same mindset, and they probably actually had a plan to accomplish it. So of course he’ll go. Even if they were the same people who just bombed and destroyed L’manburg, Tommy has always meant a lot more to him than this land does. 

“Yes.” Tubbo smiles at Phil. 

They both hear footsteps approaching and turn to look at the source. It was Technoblade, looking as calm as always. He nods towards Phil, looks at Tubbo, then back towards Phil in confusion. 

“He’s coming with us.” Phil answers the silent question. “He also wants to help out with Tommy.” 

“I see.” Technoblade drawls out. He looks at Tommy’s sleeping figure. “We’re all done here, let’s go.” 

Phil and Tubbo nod and start walking off. Technoblade grabs the axe of peace that Tommy dropped earlier. 

“I’ll be taking this back.” He grabs it and follows Phil and Tubbo. “He won’t be playing with it anymore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the support! Plz leave comments, questions if you have any, ideas or suggestions. I actually used an idea from a comment on the first chapter, which was basically Tubbo knocks out Tommy and Phil recruits him to join them in keeping Tommy “safe”. I had to make some changes but just know that every suggestion or idea you guys leave I will try to incorporate it in one way or another! Love you all!


	3. What a shitty family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes up, confronts Technoblade and Phil, gets bullied a bit and has a generally not good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYYYY GUYYYS  
> sorry this update is so late, school has been kicking my ass lately :(  
> But don’t worry, I am really proud of this fic and am planning to finish it, no matter how much time it takes!  
> I tried writing a long chapter, so enjoy! Next chapter should come faster  
> Check end notes for more stuff about Phil and Technoblade in this story!

Tommy slowly opened his eyes. Blinking repeatedly at the sudden light filling his vision, he rubbed his eyes sleepily. 

How long was he asleep for? And what happened? Tommy tried to think.

He was getting ready for something...

L’manburg’s final day

He went to go see Sapnap to apologize...

Techno and Dream teamed up, it’s the end 

He made up with Tubbo and they chatted for a while...

A hand gripped his wrists, holding him back

A message on the communicator from Eret....

Techno was there, he could hear the withers in the distance 

He...tried to go...

He could hear screams, but he couldn’t reach them 

Tubbo was holding him back, crying and pleading 

And then...

The sound of wings flapping from above him

A man stood tall and looked down at Tommy 

Purple liquid forced down his throat

A potion, it was a potion

And it knocked him out

And now he’s-

“Now I’m here,” Tommy whispered to himself, staring down at the blankets that are covering him. A moment passed, and then Tommy flung himself away from the bed and searched for a door. 

But there wasn’t a door. 

He frantically scanned the walls because there is no fucking way there isn’t a door. 

How was he supposed to get out?

Was he trapped here? 

Alone in this small, unfamiliar, and empty room forever trapped between these four walls and oh god he couldn’t breathe-

Taking deep breathes-even though it felt like his throat was closed up- he began moving along the walls. Gripping the wooden surface, he struggled to calm down. 

Where was he? This certainly wasn’t his house, nor was it the room he slept in when he was with Technoblade. It was a completely foreign place. 

There were no windows and no door. It was really minimal and bare. A bed sat on the corner of the room with a wooden table and chair near it. There was a small bookshelf on the opposite side with a small amount of books. 

Everything was so dull and Tommy hated it. 

Getting closer to the bookshelf, he grabbed the closest book and opened it. 

It was empty. 

“What the fuck?”

Throwing it to the ground, he grabbed another one.

Empty. 

“What the hell!” They were all empty! Why did they give him blank books? To write on? 

Tommy quickly scanned the room for a thing to write with but found nothing. So what gives? What was he supposed to do with this shit? 

A minute passed by slowly 

...getting kidnapped was a lot more boring than he excepted it to be.

Getting kidnapped...

Tommy froze and he felt panic travel through him. 

That’s right, he was kidnapped. By his own fucking dad. While said dad was helping Technoblade and Dream destroy L’manburg. 

Suddenly everything seemed fuzzy again as he felt himself start to breathe faster. It felt like he couldn’t get any air inside his lungs, like his own throat was refusing it. He tried to make up for it by inhaling deeper and faster, but it only worsened everything. 

Panic settled in. Why couldn’t he breathe again? He needs to calm down-he just needs to relax,

But how was he supposed to? 

He got betrayed again by his own shitty family. 

L’manburg (his country, his home, his unfinished symphony) is gone and he did nothing to protect it. He can’t even try and help rebuild it because he’s stuck here in a room-no wait, NOT a room. Rooms are supposed to be comfortable and a safe place for a person. It’s supposed to be familiar and it’s supposed to have meaning and attachment. It’s supposed to have personal items, and windows, and a door. 

This is basically a box made to imprison him. 

He just can’t figure out why. 

Tommy paces back and forth, his hands anxiously curling into fists and uncurling. 

This is probably because he left Technoblade. That much is obvious. But now what are they planning to do to him? Torture him? Kill him? 

Tears gathered in his eyes at the thought of it. His own family killing him. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time Phil killed one of his sons. What’s one more? 

“HEY! PUSSIES!” He screamed at the air, hoping that if he yelled loud enough Phil and Technoblade would hear it. “LET ME OUT! LET ME FUCKING GO OR ILL START BREAKING SHIT!” 

There was no response. Tommy closed his eyes in despair and let his knees fall to the ground. Tears ran down his face as he angrily tried to wipe them away. 

He felt so helpless and pathetic. There was no way to escape, nobody to talk to. It was so lonely and he can’t take it any more.

Maybe they weren’t even planning to come. Maybe they’ll just leave him here to rot away forever. He’ll be alone again, just like in exile, but worse. 

“Tubbo...” he shakily called out for his best friend. “Where are you?” 

Something resonates in the back of his brain. The feeling of somebody holding him down. Somebody yelling about how they’ll protect Tommy. 

“Hold him please.” 

He remembers Phil saying that. Who did he say it to? 

Deep down, Tommy already knows the answer.  
——-

Desperate to stop thinking about it (he can’t handle the idea of Tubbo betraying him, he can’t) Tommy decides to rip out some papers from books. Picking one paper up, he laid on the bed and tried to fold it into a shape. It was pretty pathetic, considering he doesn’t know anything about origami. But he feels like he has to do something or else he’ll lose his mind. 

A loud noise interrupted his train of thought. 

He jumped to his feet and could only gape in shock as one of the fucking walls slowly opened.

“WHAT THE HELL?” 

A small section of the wall in front of him slid down, exposing the darkness outside. 

It reminded him of Techno’s secret vault. 

Once the door completely opened, Tommy could clearly see a person standing there. 

It was Phil.

With his stupid striped bucket hat, and stupid green robes, and that stupid expression on his face showing disappointment. As if he had any right to be.

“Tommy-“ 

He didn’t let Phil finish. Tommy quickly ran towards the man, pushing past him to escape.

It wasn’t the most thought out plan ever, but he was desperate. What felt like hours spent in that lonely room took a toll on his body, and he so desperately wanted to just run outside and breathe fresh air. So he let desire control his body as he sprinted. 

Tommy looked around his surroundings and was surprised to see not the blue sky he hoped to, but instead only saw dirt walls. Artificial light from torches strung along the wall, replacing the sunlight. 

He briefly wondered where exactly he was, when he suddenly bumped into a hard surface. 

“Ack!” Tommy fell back on the floor and held his nose in pain. In rage, he looked up to see what blocked his path, but that feeling soon melted away into fear as he realized what he bumped into.

Or who he bumped into.

Standing tall over him was Technoblade. 

Eager to hide his fear from the man, Tommy decided to show anger instead.

“You son of a bitch Technoblade! Where the hell am I!” He screamed.

The man in front of him only stared with annoyance. 

“Are you deaf? I said-!” He gasped when Techno suddenly moved towards him and gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him up.

“Shut up.” 

So he shut up. He didn’t have a death wish, after all.

Techno gave a huff and stared at something behind Tommy, but still held his strong grip. “I thought you said you could handle him.” 

Tommy froze as he heard Phil respond. 

“Oh come on mate. He’s been cooped up in his room for so long, I figured I should allow him to let off some steam. Y’know, get rid of that pent up energy.” 

Technoblade responds with a disapproving frown. “If you’re too loose with him, he’ll just run away.” 

“I could easily catch him, Techno.”

“I wouldn’t underestimate Tommy. Or put too much trust in him.” He turned his stare towards Tommy and furrowed his eyes. “He’ll try to leave you first chance he gets.” 

Alright, so Technoblade is definitely still angry about Tommy leaving him for Tubbo. Maybe he would’ve felt guilt in other circumstances, but now that he’s been kidnapped by them, he doesn’t give a fuck if Techno is feeling betrayed. 

And he’d say it too. Except Phil is there and so is Techno and whenever he tries to speak up it’s like something in his mind is yelling at him to not do it. Warning him that he’s in deep danger. And he is, because Phil and Technoblade are one of the most powerful warriors in here. 

Still, he can’t be a pussy.

“Oi! Stop talking about me like I’m not here!” 

Phil looked uninterested at Tommy. “Sorry,” he said in a tone of voice that didn’t sound apologetic at all, “maybe it would be better to talk upstairs.” 

“Upstairs?” Tommy murmurs wide eyed, then turns his head to look at his surroundings. Dirt walls, little to no light, talk about going upstairs...

He’s fucking underground, isn’t he.

He feels like blowing up at the men in front of him. Because how dare them ruin his home and side with Dream and kidnap him AND keep him underground? But Tommy knows that there will be a better chance of escaping upstairs. 

He glares at Philza. “Fine.”  
——

The trio walked towards a staircase. Technoblade had a harsh grip on Tommy’s forearm and Phil was walking ahead of them. 

“Ow! Let go of my arm, dickhead!” 

Technoblade made sure to tighten his grip. 

“You-!”

“Don’t call your brother a dickhead, Tommy.” Phil’s voice rang out from in front. 

Tommy’s rage grew at those words. 

“He is not my brother.” Tommy spat out, venom dripping from his words. 

They stopped in front of a door. Phil took out a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. 

He cracked it open a bit, and the cold wind seeped in. Tommy could make out white snow outside, and knew exactly where they were. 

‘Im back in Technoblade’s house.’

He took a step forward, but the door suddenly closed in his face. Surprised and confused, (plus irritated) he turned to Phil. 

“I want you to apologize to Technoblade, Tommy.” Phil stated. 

Tommy’s face became red with anger and embarrassment. “What the hell? Why should I apologize?” 

“For many things,” and Tommy flinched at the monotoned and serious way Phil said that sentence. But then Phil’s eyes softened a bit. “but for now it’s because you said he wasn’t your brother.” 

“He isn’t! Not anymore!” 

“Do you want to go back to your room? We could easily just do that, instead. After all, it’s not like we need to go upstairs and talk. But I thought that you might want a explanation for why we brought you here.” 

Tommy glared back in defiance. He tried to ignore the tears gathering in his eyes. Of fucking course Phil would force him to apologize. Technoblade terrorized L’manburg twice, killed Tubbo, sided with Dream against Tommy, and was now helping keep Tommy captive. Yet Tommy is the one having to apologize. 

It’s obvious who the favorite son is.

A moment passed in silence as Tommy stubbornly remained quiet. 

Phil spoke up again, but this time directed at Techno. “Take him back, we can try again after a few days.” 

Tommy’s heart dropped. He didn’t want to be left alone again, he didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts!

“Wait! I’ll do it!” He quickly shouted out, he spun around to face Technoblade. Making sure to hold eye contact, Tommy glared daggers at him. “I’m sorry.” 

Technoblade rose an eyebrow. “For?” 

‘This bastard...’ 

“For saying you aren’t my brother!” Tommy ground out. 

Techno stared in silence before giving a small smile. It looked so smug, Tommy wanted to punch it out of his face. 

“Well, that was the least authentic apology ever but I’ll take it.” 

Phil chuckled along and threw open the door leading to the outside.

“We’ll work on it.”  
———  
Tommy sat around a dining table. Phil and Technoblade sat across from him. 

The walk towards Techno’s house was quick, during the walk Tommy looked back at the door from which they came from. 

It was in a secluded area. Trees surrounded it, hiding the door away under their shadows. 

Tommy’s stomach twisted at how hidden away it was, but tried to think in the positive. ‘At least now I know where I am,’ he thought to himself, ‘making an escape plan should be easy now.’ 

He looked up and met Phil’s eyes. Tommy frowned at Phil’s smile. 

“Well? Are you gonna talk?” He asked with a bite. 

He felt a tiny spark of joy when he saw Phil’s obviously fake smile twitch in annoyance. Making Phil lose his composure was a talent Tommy has always possessed, ever since he was a kid. 

Tommy broke out of his musings when Phil gave a cough. 

“Son,” im not your son I’m not your son not anymore, “we decided that it’s best if you stayed here with us for a while.”

Tommy gave an offended gasp at that. “I don’t want to stay with you guys! You betrayed me!”

Technoblade gave a scoff at that. “No, Tommy. You betrayed us when you sided with the government! With Tubbo! The one who exiled you!”

“Tubbo is my friend! He’s always been there for me, unlike you!”

Tommy watched with dread as Technoblade started laughing. “you think Tubbo is your friend?” He gave a humorless chuckle and leaned back in his chair. “You idiot, who do you think helped us get you here?”

Tommy froze. 

Surely not.

“I don’t fucking know! I was knocked out!” He shouted with desperation tainting his voice. 

Phil smiled condescendingly. “You can stop lying to yourself now, Tommy. You know very well Tubbo helped me get you.”

He’s right, you know he’s right. 

Who else was there when Phil appeared? 

Who held you down as Phil fed you the potion? 

It was-

“Tubbo?” Tommy mumbled out brokenly. Voice barely a whisper. 

“It was so easy to track you down. I was expecting to have to find you in battle, but turns out Tubbo had the same idea as us!”

Tommy shook his head in horror, but memories still kept flashing in his mind. 

“I can’t risk you getting hurt, 

I can’t risk you dying!”

I’ll make sure you stay alive and safe

Why was the room spinning?

Phil was oblivious to his son’s misery, instead continuing to talk. “He really is such a good kid, y’know? He held you down while I gave you your medicine. Then after, I offered to let him help out with you. He was more than happy to accept.”

And with that, Tommy couldn’t stand to hear anymore. He quickly stood up from his chair. “YOURE LYING! HE WOULDN’T DO THAT!”

Phil frowned. “Tommy, there’s no need to make a scene. You should be happy Tubbo cares about you so much. He’s doing the right thing, he just wants to help you.”

Tommy wanted to scream out just how much that didn’t make sense. He didn’t need help, especially not from these two. But he never was good at communicating his thoughts, so instead he tried to focus on another thing. “No no no! I don’t fucking believe you! If he helped you guys, then where is he?”

Techno spoke up, a satisfied smirk large on his face. “Tubbo had to leave. After all, he’s president.” He mocked. “He’ll probably be back soon. He said he just wanted to see L’manburg one more time, before he stays here with us.”

Tommy didn’t want to believe it, he didn’t want to. He just wanted to leave this place and forget about everything that happened. 

He turned on his heel and quickly sprinted towards the front door, but he didn’t even finish taking 3 steps before he felt a hand grip the back of his shirt.

“LET ME GO!” He screamed, his body shaking violently. He tried to rip the hand off of his shirt, but only succeeded in getting his body flung over Technoblade’s shoulder. 

He heard the gentle voice of Phil. “I think you need to go back to your room, Tommy. You obviously can’t handle being up here yet.”

Tommy panicked once he felt Technoblade start moving towards the door. “no wait! Please, I don’t wanna go there! Please just let me go!”

They head outside and walk towards the door leading to the underground. Phil made a show of slowly opening the door. 

“Phil, please! D-dad!”

Phil only let out a small laugh at that and stepped inside, Techno and Tommy following.

Tommy tried his hardest to struggle out of Techno’s grasp, but it was no use. 

“Hold him tight Techno!” Phil cheerily shouts out. 

“He’s like a worm!” Technoblade grouchily snaps back. 

Tommy hears Phil chuckle. It was agonizing to hear his dad act so carefree and normal about this, as if he wasn’t harming Tommy. Did he just not care? Did anybody care at all?

Why does he keep getting betrayed by the people he loves? 

With a button pushed, the wall opened up to reveal the room. 

Technoblade drops him on the floor and goes outside the doorway. Tommy tried one last ditch effort to escape, but was just pushed back into the room by Techno.

“Take another step and I’ll have to give you the potion again Tommy.” Phil scolds.

Tommy gives out a whine. “What? Why!” 

His dad just gives a tired sigh and shakes his head smiling. “It’s all for your own good, son. I’m just trying to fix our family and if this is the only way I can get you to cooperate, then I am willing to make that sacrifice.” 

Before Tommy could get a chance to call out how stupid that sentence was, the wall started closing again. Panic set in and he quickly scrambled towards it. 

“Technoblade? Phil? Don’t leave me here!” 

Before the wall completely closes, he hears Phil respond back. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back tomorrow. Goodnight Tommy!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comment, ask questions, suggest ideas and all that jazz!  
> I might not write your suggestion in the story but it gives me inspiration to write about things I never even thought about :)  
> Also, I kinda wanna explain Phil and Techno’s motives, in case they’re confusing.  
> In this story, Phil is a lot more insensitive and has been ever since Wilbur’s death. He really sees the government as the reason why Wilbur died, so when Tommy decided to side with L’manburg against Techno and Phil, he snapped. He’s angry that Tommy went against him, and is angry at him for betraying Technoblade. He sees Tommy as a immature child who’s incapable of making right decisions, that’s why he treats him so differently from Technoblade. Also, he does show favoritism but his pride and ego literally doesn’t allow him to be self aware of it. He ACTUALLY believes he’s doing the right thing and that kidnapping Tommy is a good idea. Right now he thinks that Tommy is just throwing a temper tantrum, but with time will go back to being the obedient boy he used to be in childhood. Cringe.  
> Meanwhile, Technoblade is a lot more self aware. He knows that this will damage Tommy’s mental health and will harm him, he just doesn’t really care. Right now, he’s hurt and angry because in his eyes Tommy betrayed him. Is this true? I think it’s a lot more complicated than that. But anyways, he does want to punish Tommy for it. His heart is bitter and cold right now, but he does think it would be nice to have the old Tommy back. The obedient little brother that always looked up to and relied on him, he’s just not as optimistic as Phil is that it will actually happen. Right now he’s just following Dad’s lead, but as the story progresses and he starts getting attached again, he’ll play a more leading role in trying to get Tommy to become dependent on them.  
> Tubbo rlly just wants Tommy safe and out of harms way, Phil wants Tommy to be obedient again, and Techno wants to make sure Tommy feels as hurt as he does. 3 different motives, but they all share one common goal. One horrible, morally not ok, very stupid common goal  
> Plus Ghostbur and Alivebur are going to have their own motives as well!  
> NEXT CHAPTER WILL HAVE: the first escape attempt, Tubbo, and Ghostbur :D  
> Tommy will not have a good time  
> :D


	4. Safe and Happy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy reunites with Tubbo and Ghostbur! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: emotional manipulation, guilt tripping, betrayal 
> 
> Can tommy have a break FOR ONCE??
> 
> The answer is no, at least not in this chapter or the next one

Phil and Technoblade did end up coming back the next day, inviting him to eat breakfast with them in the cabin. 

Phil chattered happily as they ate around the table, ignoring the tense silence between Techno and Tommy. Asking dumbass questions to Tommy like “Do you like your room?” and “The snow is coming down hard today, huh?” 

They were so stupid, so it didn’t take long for Tommy to snap. He took his plate full of food and flung it towards Phil’s dumb smiling face. 

He smiled in victory when the plate slid off, leaving splattered food behind. The smile dropped when he looked at Techno’s furious gaze. 

“You little brat-!” Techno quickly stood up, which prompted Tommy to do the same. 

“Techno!” Phil rose as well and laid a firm hand on Technoblade’s shoulder. “I’ll handle this.” 

The tall, pink haired man huffed in annoyance but still sat down and watched as Phil walked over to Tommy. 

Tommy stood still and glared. Philza stood in front of Tommy, stone faced. 

“Could you pass me your napkin.” Phil said, not as a question but as a command. He held out his hand and waited. 

The blonde teen stared in confusion. “What?”

“The napkin, Tommy. Pass it to me so I can clean my face.” 

Tommy looked down at the table, at the napkin sitting next to where his plate used to be. He grabbed it slowly and looked back at Phil. 

After a moment of hesitation, he held it out to the man, who took it with a firm grip. 

“Thank you.” The man smiled gratefully at Tommy and cleaned his face with it. 

The teen furrowed his brows in confusion. That was it? 

“Aren’t you mad or something?”He asked warily.

“Why would I be?”

“Cuz I threw the food at you!” He yelled back in exasperation. When he threw the plate, Tommy knew he was gonna get some sort of punishment. Maybe he would be forced to apologize and get sent to the room, or maybe it would be physical. He could handle that, but this was not what he was expecting. It was weirding him out. 

“So you acknowledge that it was a rude thing to do.” Phil murmured and smiled.

“What? No!” 

“I’m not angry, Tommy. More disappointed than anything, really.” And Phil smiled a bit when Tommy flinched at that. He knew that Tommy was used to anger and consequences and punishments, but he wasn’t used to guilt and sympathy. Which is why it was the perfect tool to use. “When you were smaller, you used to do that all the time remember? Lashing out and throwing stuff around, especially when you were grumpy or didn’t get your way.” Phil’s hand went to cup Tommy’s face, “I guess you never really matured out of that phase.”

“But that’s ok,” Phil’s thumb now caressed Tommy’s cheek, with Tommy unknowingly relaxing in his grasp, “I love you just the way you are, son.” 

The younger male’s eyes glittered with unshed tears, and all the defiance and anger slipped out of him. Because Phil just said that he loved him, for who he was. Despite everything he did, despite all the fights he started and insults he yelled, his dad still loved him. 

And isn’t that exactly what he wanted? For such a long time, Tommy has yearned for this moment. In his childhood, when Phil and Technoblade would go to adventures for months. In Pogtopia, when Wilbur’s declining mental health left Tommy feeling more alone and vulnerable than ever. In exile, where he felt like the most useless and hated boy in the whole smp.

Technoblade watched in fascination as Phil ordered to throw the used napkin away in the trash, and Tommy did with no complaint or back talk.

Still, the sudden obedience didn’t last long, because Tommy snapped out of it once he was taken back to the room. He yelled and cursed at Phil and Techno, but it had no effect on the men. They left Tommy in the small room, confused and scared at what just happened. 

What happened back there? It was like Tommy turned into a whole other person, and he didn’t like it. He acted like a pussy, just staying quiet and still as Phil told lies.

Because now he recognized that they were lies, Phil doesn’t love him. If he did, he wouldn’t have left Tommy alone when he was just a child. He wouldn’t have let Tommy go to the Dream SMP without a single goodbye, only to enter the SMP when it was too late, when Wilbur was already too far gone. 

If his dad truly loved him, he would’ve showed it. But he never did. He never visited during Tommy’s exile, or helped him when he was being manipulated by Dream. Instead, he helped Dream and Technoblade blow up L’manburg. 

Instead, he kidnapped his youngest child after the destruction was done.

And Tommy could only sob in anger and embarrassment, as he realizes that his dad managed to trick him again.

He was so stupid.

————  
After Tommy was locked back in his the room, he really had no idea what to do next.

There was hardly anything to do in the small space, there were no books to read, no places to explore, no materials to create stuff with. 

It was torture to Tommy, who is always so energetic and hyperactive. He had to do something, build something, break something. He had to distract himself from the past the betrayals the exiles the wars and manipulation 

Because if he wasn’t occupied with something, then there was nothing preventing those memories from resurfacing.

And Tommy did not want that.

It’s not like he tries to run away from his past, he reasons to himself while fidgeting with his hands, he just doesn’t see the point in thinking back on it. 

What happened happened, and it can’t be changed so it should just stay in the back of the mind and get forgotten. That’s how Tommy sees it. 

Instead of thinking of the past, you should be thinking of the present.

Tommy blinked his eyes in realization. That’s right. The present. 

He stood up from where he was sitting on the bed and walked towards the wall in front of him, the one where Technoblade and Phil walked out of. 

That was the only way out, the entrance and exit of this godawful place. 

He gripped the wall and glared at it. 

If there was a button outside to open and close it, was there one inside? 

He searched for a button near it, frantically looking for anything that suggests there might even be one. 

But came up with nothing.

“Dammit!” He cursed out loud. 

Of course there wasn’t gonna be one inside, Phil and Techno arent that stupid. They wouldn’t risk him finding it and leaving that easily.

Still, he had to be 100% sure. 

“Aaaalright, if I was them, where would I put a button?” Tommy loudly asked himself.

Maybe he was going a bit crazy—talking to himself—-but he was willing to do anything to fill the silence in the room.

Also, talking helped block out his thoughts. 

Focusing on the room, he hummed deep in thought. Then, his eyes focused on the bookshelf.

And he slowly smiled.

———  
Ok, so maybe he was being too optimistic.

Tommy wasn’t dumb, he knew that there was a less than 1% chance that his kidnappers would actually hide a button to open the wall inside the room. It didn’t make any sense, they know how curious and destructive Tommy is. No matter how good they would’ve hid it, at some point or another Tommy would’ve found it, either on purpose or by accident. And the moment he finds it, it’s adios to this place and hola to the outside! 

Phil and Technoblade and Tubbo wouldn’t have risked it.

But hey, searching for it at least gave Tommy something to do. Something to distract himself with.

Also, it was an excuse to trash the room.

Books piled up on the floor as stray papers flew out of them, and soon the floor was completely covered. 

It was fun to destroy stuff. 

‘Is that why Technoblade and Phil destroyed L’manburg?’

The thought hit Tommy hard, freezing him still at the implications that he and them may be alike. Anger started coursing through him, and soon he only wanted to destroy more. 

He set his eyes on the actual wooden bookshelf, completely ignoring his surroundings.

if he had focused a bit more, he would have been able to hear the loud sound of the wall opening. But Tommy was too focused in his anger, so he instead put all his energy into trying to knock the book shelves down. 

The wooden furniture wobbled and shook, and when Tommy started gripping it from the front and pulling, it started tipping down. 

A sense of victory filled Tommy’s heart at that, causing a toothy grin to form. Until he realized that the big piece of furniture was about to fall down on top of him. 

“TOMMY!”

Before he could even turn his head towards the voice, hands gripped at the side of his shirt and pulled him out of the bookshelf’s way. 

It fell with a loud thud on the floor, causing both Tommy and the other person to flinch. 

“Are you crazy?” The voice frantically yelled at him, still holding on to his shirt tightly, “Why did you knock it down? What the hell is the matter with you?!”

That’s when Tommy faced the person, ready to snap back at them until he saw who exactly it was.

Tubbo.

Hands went to grip Tommy’s face. 

“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” Tubbo wildly tilted Tommy’s head side to side, inspecting him to make sure there were no injuries. When he found none, he instead started looking over Tommy’s arms, finally staring at his palms, which were red from all the pulling that he did. “I should get some ice for that..” Tubbo murmured. 

Tommy snatched his hands away from Tubbo. “Stop treating me like that!”

“Like what?”

“Like as if I was a little kid or something!” Tommy yelled. 

Tubbo narrowed his eyes. “I wouldn’t treat you like a kid if you would just stop acting like one! Only a child would be that stupid to knock the bookshelf down! It could’ve fallen down on you-no, it WAS going to fall on top of you! Thank god I came in to save you.”

Tommy stood shaking with anger. How dare Tubbo call him stupid? It wasn’t his fault, he was only trying to find a way out! “The only reason I did it was to find a way out of here Tubbo!”

“Why would you want to leave?” Tubbo looked so confused and hurt at the thought that Tommy didn’t appreciate being kidnapped and put in a room by his family and friend. Then, the hurt expression on Tubbo’s face morphed into confusion and amusement. “Wait, how would knocking it down even help you out?” 

At that, Tommy stilled and blushed in embarrassment. Ok, so maybe it didn’t make any sense actually. “Y-you’re avoiding the point!” He huffed in anger. “You helped Philza drug me! You held me down and now I’m stuck here with you and them and- why aren’t you letting me out?” The anger drained away, replaced by the familiar bitter feeling of betrayal. And soon all Tommy wanted to know was, “Why are you helping them?” 

He croaked the question out and tried to ignore the tears forming in his eyes. Because despite not wanting to, there was no point in trying to deny that Tubbo helped out in this plot. How could Tommy try to defend his friend-try to make excuses for him-or ignore the evidence when Tubbo was standing right in front of him and wasn’t helping him out? 

‘It was so easy to track you down.’ Phil’s past words rang through his head. ‘I was expecting to have to find you in battle, but turns out Tubbo had the same idea as us!’

Tubbo did have the same idea as them. And Tommy couldn’t deny it any more.

“Tommy...” Tubbo murmured, and Tommy swore he could see a hint of guilt in his eyes. But it soon went away, and Tubbo narrowed his eyes. “I’m doing this to keep you safe. I don’t want to see you hurt anymore!”

“You’re hurting me right now!” 

“You’re the one hurting yourself!” Tubbo screamed back. “I’ve been thinking and making plans on how best to keep you safe, and Tommy, everything outside is dangerous! Everybody could be a threat to you, but maybe...” Tubbo’s face fell, a look of worry crossing his face. “Maybe you’re the biggest threat.” 

“...Huh?” Tommy slowly said, horror dawning on his face at seeing his friend like this. His expression, his words, even the way he’s standing reminds Tommy of Wilbur. Of how he slowly lost his mind in Pogtopia, always so paranoid and on the verge of snapping. 

“I can’t count on you to be safe Tommy. You always get in trouble and then I’m forced to see you get hurt. I don’t want to do that anymore.” Tubbo murmured, hands shaking. His gaze dropped to the floor. “No, Phil said you’d be safe here. It’s better for you here. We’ll keep you safe, no matter what you do.”

“Tubbo?” Tommy forced himself to walk towards Tubbo. Phil said that? Was Phil manipulating Tubbo, feeding him these ideas? 

Anger returns, but Tommy doesn’t want to unleash it on Tubbo. If his theory was correct, then Tubbo isn’t the person he should be directing his anger at. So Tommy suppresses the screams that are wanting to come out of his throat. 

“Where’s Phil?” He asks instead. 

Tubbo stops murmuring and looks back up at Tommy. After a brief second, it seems like Tubbo calmed down, the wild spark in his eyes dulling over. In a second, he regained his composure in a swift and professional manner. 

Did he learn that from being president? 

“Phil’s out with Technoblade,” Tommy scowled in bitter annoyance, nothing new there then. “he’s gathering the supplies needed to...”

Tubbo’s voice fell into a silence, as he looked conflicted at telling Tommy what Phil and Technoblade were doing. Which just raised red flags for Tommy.

“To what? Spit it out man!” 

Tubbo still stared with concern. Then his expression turned more firm, and that’s when Tommy knew that Tubbo has decided to not tell him. So he did what he needed to, to get the info. 

He pleaded. 

Tubbo immediately softened. Resolve broken, he told Tommy of how they were planning to resurrect Wilbur, bring him back to life. They were out gathering the items needed for the ritual.

And Tommy froze. 

Wilbur’s coming back? 

He...he didn’t know how to react to that. 

Wilbur; his big brother, the man who Tommy looks up to. He remembers childhood memories of Wilbur teaching him how to cook, how to play the guitar, how to fight. And when Wilbur joined him in the smp, those were the happiest days of his life.

But it didn’t last long, because soon they were fighting a war for independence. And there was so much fire, and chaos, and destruction. And for a second, Tommy could still feel the cold and sharp pain of a arrow digging through his head. And then the dark embrace of death.

Things didn’t get better after that, and when Schlatt became president, Wilbur changed. 

It was like he was a whole other person.

So he’s so confused, because he has so much happy memories of Wilbur. But he has a lot of bad memories, too. The only thing these two have in common is that they both hurt Tommy’s heart whenever he thought of them. 

He didn’t realize he was staying silent for too long until Tubbo gripped his shoulders.

“Tommy, are you ok?” He asked, eyes blown wide and frantic.

Tommy wishes Tubbo would stop looking at him like that, as if he was a fragile thing on the verge of breaking. 

He roughly pushed Tubbo back.

“Oi bitch, don’t touch me!” Tommy was struggling to regain his composure after the bombshell that Tubbo just dropped. “Does Ghostbur even know about it?”

Tubbo stared at Tommy warily. “He was the one who told them he wanted to be revived.” 

Now that was surprising, Ghostbur has always shown a great dislike towards Wilbur. What made him change his mind? 

“So he’s with them right now.” Tommy grumbled in envy. What he wouldn’t give to be able to roam freely outside again.

“Actually, he’s in the cabin. He wanted to take care of his sheep and y—“

Tommy tuned Tubbo out as a idea crossed his mind. 

Ghostbur was here?

Did he know that Tommy was being kept in here? 

Would he be able to help him get out?

As Tubbo continue to rumble, Tommy managed to just nod his head to feign like he was paying attention. But in reality, he was trying to determine if Ghostbur could be a ally.

The ghost was, well, really fucking dumb. He was easily swayed, and Tommy could easily see him being lied to by Phil and Technoblade. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if the ghost didn’t even know they kidnapped Tommy. 

Besides, even if he did, Tommy was fairly certain that he could just convince Ghostbur to let him go. Again, he can be very easily swayed.

And when it came to his freedom, Tommy was willing to use that fact to his advantage. 

“I wanna go see him.” 

Tubbo grimaced at the demand. 

“I’m not sure Tommy.”

“Aw, what the hell! Why not!” Tommy asks.

“Because!” And Tubbo gives out a little huff. “You’re just going to try and leave!”

“You don’t know that!” 

“Tommy, I know you, and I know that’s exactly what your planning to do.”

Fuck, he had a point there.

Lying wont help him here, Tubbo knows him too well. So Tommy will have to go to his next strategy.

Annoying Tubbo until he gets what he wants.

“Tubbo! I’m hurt! I wouldn’t do that to you man, I’m Tommy ‘Trustful’ Innit after all!” Tommy pushed away his feelings of distaste and walked closer to Tubbo. “Come oooon! It’s so boring here! I’m losing my miiind!” He waved his arms rapidly.

Tubbo looked less than impressed with his performance. “Sorry Tommy, but no. Why don’t you go write on your journal?”

“Journal? What journal?” Tommy asked, ignoring the books thrown all over the floor. 

“Seriously, are you really gonna act as if all these journals are invisible?” Tubbo said, but his fond tone of voice and the small smile he had on showed how amused he was at Tommy’s words.

Tommy gave a let out a big sigh. “Ughhhh, I don’t know what you’re talking about big man!

Tubbo let out a giggle, and that prompted Tommy to let out a short laugh as well. It was...nice. Talking like this with Tubbo, it reminded Tommy of simpler times. When the two boys would just spend their days laughing and having a good time. 

But now everything has changed, and right now is not the time to be reminiscing about the past. Tommy needs to convince Tubbo to let him talk with Ghostbur upstairs. Once there, he’ll tell the ghost of everything that has happened, and then hopefully convince or trick him into helping Tommy escape. 

So with a heavy heart, he knew what he had to do.

Tubbo can deal with anger and annoyance, but he hates seeing his best friend sad. So he’ll just have to act sad to get what he wants.

Shouldn’t be too hard.

“If Ghostbur gets resurrected,” Tommy starts, voice more quieter than before, “then he’ll be gone, won’t he?”

“...What do you mean?” Tubbo asks.

“Well, cause Ghostbur is different from Wilbur. So when he turns into Wilbur again, then he’ll change. And Ghostbur will be no more.” Tommy talks, feeling awful about trying to trick Tubbo using emotions.

But he really, really needs to get away from here.

In the end, it wasn’t hard at all. It’s not like he had to pretend to be sad about Ghostbur disappearing. Although the ghost was so different from Wilbur—the happiness and naivety Ghostbur exudes is so wrong, even before Pogtopia, Wilbur never acted like Ghostbur. Not even when he was much younger.—he still was Wilbur’s ghost. And Tommy would be lying if he said he wouldn’t miss the ghost. Even though his personality was so unfamiliar, it was a nice change from the insanity Wilbur showed in the last months of his life.

Tommy doesn’t know if he wants to see Ghostbur go, not even if it means Wilbur would come back. And the guilt at the thought hits him so hard, he starts crying on the spot.

At the sight of the tears, Tubbo immediately relents. He promises to let Tommy out, but not before leaving him in the room for a couple minutes. When he comes back he’s holding a big jacket, suitable for the cold weather of the area. He tells Tommy to put it on, and Tommy knows this is something Tubbo won’t compromise on, so he does. Despite being bitter at yet another example that shows how delicate Tubbo sees him as.

When they finally leave the room and go upstairs, out the door that leads to the outside word, and start walking towards the cabin—Tubbo makes sure to have a tight hold on Tommy’s shoulder.

“I’m not gonna run away Tubbo.” Tommy tries to convince. 

Tubbo just scoffs. 

—-

They’re in the cabin, and Tommy shrugs Tubbo’s hand off his shoulder. 

“Ghostbur?” He calls out. 

The ghost comes running. 

“Tommy!” Ghostbur excitedly greets him. He stands so close, so Tommy takes a step away from him. “It’s so nice to see you!” 

“Nice to see you too.” Tommy forces out. It’s not like he dislikes Ghostbur, he just has a lot of confusing feeling towards the guy. Also, he needs to find a way to talk privately with him without Tubbo hearing. 

Luckily, it’s Ghostbur who comes up with the perfect opportunity. 

“Come see Friend’s new home! I built it myself!” The ghost happily exclaims. Tommy nods an ok and follows Ghostbur further into the cabin. 

Tubbo moves to follow as well, but then looks as if he’s thinking about something. In the end, he turns around and starts preparing breakfast. 

Thats odd, Tommy was sure it was going to be harder to talk privately with Ghostbur. After all, Tubbo was so reluctant to even let Tommy out of the room at first, so what changed? 

‘He feels guilty after that pity party you pulled in the room, so he’s letting you talk with Ghostbur before he gets resurrected.’ A thought supplied Tommy with a explanation.

Guilt stirs in him, but he’s led out of the room and into another one by Ghostbur. Soon, he’s staring down a latch door on the floor.

“What?” He asks.

Ghostbur opens the door and climbs down. “This is where Friend lives now! Come down the ladder, here.”

And so Tommy does, but he recognizes this place. It’s in the same location he dug his ‘room’ in back when he was living with Techno. Except that the space was a lot more bigger and the floor of it was grass. He doesn’t know how to feel about his old room becoming a sheep’s home, while he is forced to stay in what is basically a giant box underground. 

Speaking of...

“Ghostbur!” Tommy starts, now looking directly at the ghost. “We need to talk.”

The ghost was busy petting Friend but smiles as he turns around. “Sure! I love talking to you Toms!”

Tommy grimaces at the nickname, but decides not to comment on it.

“I need...” for fucks sake, this is so humiliating, “....help.” He struggles to get out.

At that, Ghostbur stops petting the sheep. “Really? With what?” 

Shit, does Ghostbur really not know about what’s happening? 

“I’ve been kidnapped!” Tommy yells but then realized he should probably be more quieter if he doesn’t want Tubbo to hear. He looks around in alarm before staring back at Ghostbur. “When L’manburg got destroyed, I got kidnapped by Phil and...and Tubbo.”

The ghost only stares and tilts his head in confusion. “Kidnapped? But you’re right here silly!”

“Exactly!” Tommy whisper-yells. “I’m being forced to stay here but...I really don’t want to. I need to leave and I need to go check on L’manburg and I need my discs back and I don’t wanna stay here with the people who destroyed my home-!” 

Tommy realizes he’s becoming more louder and is rambling, so he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. After a few seconds, he opens them and glances at Ghostbur. He looks concerned and worried. 

“I really need your help to get out of here.”

“My help?” Ghostbur asks.

“Yeah,” Tommy lets out a small frustrated laugh, “I can’t escape by myself. When I’m not here they put me in this-this underground room that has a hidden door that only opens when a button outside of it is pushed-“

“A room?” Ghostbur cuts him off, a small smile on his lips. Tommy stares at it. Why is he asking so many questions? 

“Yes! They don’t let me go out and I’m so bored all the time! All I have are these fucking empty books-“

“The books! Do you like them?”

“Ugh, stop interrupting me!” Tommy yells in frustration but then realized what Ghostbur said. “Wait what?”

“Oops sorry,” Ghostbur smiles apologetically “ Do you like writing in them is what I meant to say!”

...

Huh.

Ghostbur takes this silence as an invitation continue going.

“I wanted to know, cause uh, it was my idea to give you them!” Ghostbur smiles and Tommy’s heart sinks. “I thought it would be a good idea for you to write out your thoughts so I told the idea to Phil and he agreed! So we go you your own little bookshelf full of books for you to write on! Isn’t that great Tommy?” 

No, no it wasn’t. 

“You knew they were gonna do this?” Tommy murmurs, eyes wide open in shock. 

“Of course! They told me about the plan a few days ago! I think it’s a good idea, I saw you in exile and you were so sad every day. So I think spending time with us will help you feel better again!”

“No,no, I want OUT! I want to LEAVE!” Tommy yells, uncaring about his voice level. “You can’t keep me here, you can’t!”

Tommy gripped the ladder behind him and went upstairs, Ghostbur close on his trails behind him. 

“Oh Tommy, I imagine the first days will be hard for you! But-but just think about it! You’ll be with your family again, just like when we were kids! Do you remember that Tommy, and how much fun it was? We were all so much happier back then, we can be happy again together!” 

But Ghostbur’s words weren’t registering to Tommy. How could this be happening? Why was Ghostbur not listening to him! 

Why didn’t anybody listen? 

“Alivebur loved writing books, once I become him again, I’m sure I’d love to read yours! Maybe you’ll be happier at that point too, and you can read them with me! That would be so much fun, right? Don’t you think? Tommy? 

Why are you crying? Here, have some blue! It all seems so scary now, but in the future you’ll look back and wonder why you ever even wanted to leave!

I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Honestly it was really hard to write this chapter, i had a plan for what was going to happen here but it was becoming too long so I’m gonna split it up into 2 chapters! The next one should come out faster! Not sure how I feel about this chapter, I’m not all that satisfied with it :( but I hate to keep you guys waiting! Also, you may or may not have noticed but I switched accounts for this fic! Im still the same author, just with a different account. This is because I wanted to have separate accounts for writing and reading :’) kinda weird ik but my brain wants me to organize and categorize stuff as much as possible! Thank you for reading and please comment or ask a question!

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s the intro! More will be coming up soon so plz check in or subscribe! Kudos and comments motivate me to write more too! 0v0 If you have any questions plz ask away and I’ll answer! Plz forgive any errors, this is my first time writing a fanfic and I’m writing on a phone so oof. Also, PLZZZ GIVE ME IDEAS. Like if you want to see something in this fic or a scenario or something plz comment it. I desperately need ideas. Anyways, thanks for reading!


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